Extreme skier Matthias Giraud performed a ski-base jump on Mount Hood on Thursday -- sking off a 250-foot cliff on Mississippi Head with a parachute that opened about 100 feet before he hit the snow.

"It's an odd feeling to be sking off a 250-foot cliff really fast," said Giraud, 24, a Frenchman who lives in Spokane. A professional skier, he is an experienced base jumper but this was his first base jump on skis. (Base jumping is like skydiving without the plane -- base jumpers typically launch off a cliff or bridge -- and is considered more dangerous.)

Mississippi Head is at about the 7,200-foot level on the south face of the mountain. Giraud believes he's the first person to ever perform the feat.

Here is a video of the event, shot for Frontside Productions (www.frontsideproductions.com) from three different angles by Eric Jeffcoat, Craig Adkins and Giraud, who was wearing a helmet cam:

Giraud said he approached the edge at about 40 mph focusing on a smooth, stable launch, because bobbles at the top can result further down in the parachute lines getting tangled in the skis and possible death.

"You're coming to the edge, and you have all that apprehension -- and then you're just floating and it's really incredible," he said.

The weather was blue-sky perfect, and the wind was still for the 2 p.m. jump.